Commander's Guide Book: How to Lead and How to Bleed
This is a repost of Ironwolf's guide from the closed Gamepotusa forums. Full credit of this guide belongs to Ironwolf. Introduction We have within us all a great capacity for unlimited power, and there is no greater power than that of knowledge. Strategy is an excursive of that knowledge, and without mastering that element you will always be at a great disadvantage. But in Fantasy Earth Zero, you are not alone on the battlefield. The field is not an artificially controlled death match arena in which you must acquire the better score. No, it is a living, breathing, player driven experience which is glued together by one core element; cooperation. Cooperation is a team effort, and in effect – every team demands a leader. Not everyone is willing to take up the mantle of commander, and in this game there needs to be more than just one. Even though wars can hold a capacity for 100 players, up a maximum of 50 per team; there are only a select few of that number which turn the tide of war. Often, the vast majority of your team mates are about as helpful as the enemy – and it is this sort of ignorance this guide aims to squelch. As a participant in a war, it is your duty to cooperate. You must fulfill a role, and there are many to fill. In fact, there are so many; there is almost something for every one – even those who don't wish to battle, or simply don't know how to. The author's intent is not to scold or banter, but to generalize and summarize difficult, and often complex situations of virtual warfare. Details will not relate to every situation, but it is up to you to utilize this knowledge to your benefit in any situation you feel it may apply. Chapter 01 Tutorials; Master Yourself Fantasy Earth Zero is a new and wonderful realm; mainly because it is free to play and will likely have limited impact on your pocketbook. But when you take part in this game, you must take into consideration that other people are playing it too. As a participant in war, you are a vital element. With a limited amount of people to your team, 50 at the very most. But most of the time it is remarkably fewer than that number. So if you do not know what to do, or fulfill a role; the enemy instantly has the advantage. For it is highly likely the enemy knows more than you do. Understand that three things happen when you take part in war: #You are taking up a vital player slot for you team. Other players are waiting in line to enter, but you are playing. #When you join, another enemy can join as well. Adding another potentially dangerous player to the enemy ranks. #Your every action, or inaction, will determine the outcome of the war Tutorials Fantasy Earth Zero does come with a fair share of tutorials. Yet, they are not exactly easy to locate. The 'Battle Tutorial' on the world map is rather misleading, for that is more a practice arena rather than a tutorial. The real tutorials are located within each and every nation's capital city. The basic run through can be found on the main website: [http://fez.gamepotusa.com/art_of_war/basic_gameplay.aspx Tutorials] To begin these Tutorials, you must speak with an NPC called Colt , which is the name in every Nation. But her locations varies on which nation you hail from. *The Kingdom of''' Yelsord''' -------- C:3 Riverburg (Military Quarter) *The Kingdom of''' Hordaine''' ------ E:6 Nutberry (Military District) *The Gevrandian Empire -------- G:5 Runewall (Peasantry Quarter) *The Royal Alliance of Cesedria - D:4 Azelwood (Military Quarter) *The Kingdom of Netzavare ----- E:7 Banewatt (Military Quarter) Speaking with Colt will take you into a virtual training field to do basic tasks, the most important of which is the Yellow Letter Mission, given by Lungeau. This mission can be accessed by getting the Yellow Letter from the captain, and heading left down the road into Guerra Canyon. Complete each mission, but also do them as many times as needed. I recommend you do the first one, The Battlefield Tower, as many times until you understand the mechanics of Obelisks. Practice Building and Summoning Outside of War Once you complete these Missions, there is another place you can go to practice the elements of war. Such as building. Many of the types of buildings you can produce in a War cannot be made in the tutorials inside your nation's capital. At the bottom left of the World Map, which is accessed simply by Exiting Field; you will see an icon called Battle Tutorial. In reality, there is very little to actual Tutorial offered here. When you enter the zone, you'll be surrounded by buildings. *'Note': This is not the recommended building positions of structures. The erratic building positions are static and persistent. The Battle Tutorial zone remains constant, and isn't a single instance. Anyone can join at any time, and any and all buildings made by previous players still exist. Because of a certain limit to which buildings can be made in a single game, many older buildings vanish when you create new ones. Use this space to get used to controlling summons, and experiment with placements of buildings. *'Note': Battle Tutorial is not a simulation of actual war. You can build anywhere, and everywhere -- unlike war. In war, you can only build within territory highlighted in your team's color. Finally, the tutorials to do not offer a complete list of all the basics of game play. Many important elements are not mentioned, and thus why guides like this exist. In effect, this is a manual on how to effectively participate in wars within Fantasy Earth Zero, which is in many fashions a tutorial in its own right. 'Chapter 01a - Interface; The Tools of War' Though briefly outlined in the Field of Vision section of Fantasy Earth Zero's main page, the Interface has much more to offer to the player than one may first suspect. Perhaps this works against the game, but the interface is streamlined for controller support; so this leads to several oddities in the HUD or Heads Up Display. 'Mini Map Key' 'Morale Bar' With an exact knowledge of what these symbols mean, there is no excuse to take action. But the mini map alone doesn't dictate what it is your should be doing. It is important to assess the situation as well through the Morale Bar. This tool informs you of three four important facts. *Who is attacking and who is defending. Blue; Defender & Orange; Attacker. *How much Morale remains for both teams. *How much Territory is claimed by both teams. *How much time is remaining in the game. 'Territory' This meter is a measure of how many Obelisks and Eclipses you, or the opposing team, have constructed. This is not a measure of merely territory, but how much damage is being dealt to either team via Territory Damage. Have more Obelisks doesn't exactly account for Territory Damage, but it's how much of the map you currently own with several Obelisks. In order to achieve maximum damage to enemy Castle, you must build far apart. Consult the image links below. *Improper Territory Construction = Poor Damage (7.2/480 damage per Minute -- 27.8% of map claimed) *Proper Territory Construction = Maximum Damage (13.2/480 damage per Minute -- 49.8% of map claimed) The territory bar will reflect how well your team is constructing. If your team holds a near consistent 50% of the map or more, you're likely going to win. Yet, if your team is well below 50% -- your team will surely see defeat. What you see on the map, should influence your approach to the war. This should also demonstrate how some people should not be building Obelisks, as others should. To succeed, it takes a fair amount of research and logic. Without devoted time into bettering yourself, you are more of a harm to your team than you may care to realize. By consulting your Mini Map and Morale Bar, you'll have the edge and will manage to stay on top of things. These two elements should influence almost every choice you make on the battlefield. There is however, another factor which may influence action. 'The Chat Box' How to both properly function, and read the chat box is critical to victory as well. Keeping in contact with your allies that are not directly chatting with you via microphone can be done through Chat Box. But how do you utilize this powerful tool properly? More often than I care to, I see many people not understand the very basics of using this tool. So here is a detailed breakdown on how it works. Expanding the Window by default, the chat window is small. You will quickly lose a lot of information, even more so if you keep needless messages. In order to regain control of your chat window, you will need to open up the edit feature. This can be found at the bottom right of the chat window. To access it, press Alt on your Keyboard to activate your mouse, or feather, and click on the button highlighted below. Increase the size of the chat box by increasing the number of the Log Disp. Size. Chat Window Tips & Tricks Repeat your last message: ' Press '''Enter '-> Hold '''Left Ctrl -> Press Up or Down arrows. Commands: ''' ''' = Your Current Position ' = Your Current Crystal Inventory For more, consult: Macros 101 Create Macros: Press Y, macros can be 18 characters log. Chapter 02 World Map; Pick Your Battles Within Fantasy Earth Zero there are few goals, but even these few goals are often unknown to the vast majority of players. The point of the game is not simply to fight and win, it is also about taking control of vital territories that your nation needs to control. Many of the territories are mentioned by your nation's ' NPC. These NPC's are not hard to locate, by design they are directly in front of you when you enter your nation's Capital - so they are impossible to miss. {C}But the ' informs you of what your Nation's current mission is. It is always one territory, and normally you have a most 8 hours to claim it. But just the act of claiming it is not enough, you must hold it and remain holding it until the Mission Timer is up. Many of these lands which need to be under your control can be found in Ecetia,the land mass at the center of the map. What most people fail to understand is where to target. There is very little strategy happening in the meta game unless a small band of players takes the initiative to take battle where it is needed --''' Inner Ecet'ia', or '''IE'. Inner Ecetia This section of land consists of ten territories which should be under constant struggle. *Dragora Wilderness *Hawkwind Highlands *Arcturce Crater *Wagnus Land *Nicona Road *Sp.ica Crater *Capelia Crater *Mount Despire Base *Land of Origin *Goblin's Fork What makes these lands so important? Control over IE will enable your nation to complete many Missions very quickly. Since most missions are lands engaged in and around IE, controlling it will give your nation a launching point. This will also give reason to actually put up a solid defense, instead of thrusting into one aggressive engagement after another without a common goal. Many people fail to understand the lack of importance to Border Territories, or BTs. This can also be called Outer Ecetia, or OE. Outer Ecetia *'Note': Territories in these regions are only important within the last 2 hours of your Nation's Mission, if, one of these regions is an objective. Otherwise, they are to be ignored. Why ignore them? Each of the five nations have three BTs which give them access to Ecetia. One nation could effectively cut off another nation from accessing Ecetia entirely, but this will demand too many resources for one nation to handle if they are to successfully hold a presence within IE. Taking over BTs that still hold a constant, and unwavering connection to a Nation's home land bears little fruit. Normally, home lands go uncontested unless one or multiple nations holds a particular agenda. The more valuable land and precious item drops come from IE, not OE. So constantly trying to take over territory neighboring yours, just because it's there, isn't always a good idea. So pick your battles. Players who insist on having control over a war from beginning to end, and commanding an army, should consider declaring wars strictly within IE. These battles often pose to be the most difficult because the maps within these territories are some of the most engaging and unique in the game. This also means that waiting for a Truce to end is also a wise way to approach battle. Leaving one war, only to hop into another already in progress, doesn't often amount to much other than quick experience points and rings. This also means that land you've fought for can become contested, and you're too occupied in another battle to do anything about it. To keep the pressure on the enemy; after a successful war -- wait 10 minutes and declare war to a connecting field within IE when truce lifts. Chapter 03 Battle Map; Know Your Terrain To successfully conquer a battlefield, it is important to have an understanding of what to expect from the terrain. This game is very forgiving since there are many terrains found within a nation's homeland that can be found elsewhere. Also, you can freely enter and walk around an area prior to declaring war. Many territories within Inner Ecetia are unique, and not found anywhere else in the world. So mastering them is important. But not every terrain is the same. So if you are declaring war, it would be wise to carefully think our where you will place your attacking army's Keep. More than one battle has been lost with very poor placement of the Keep, due to impart of lack of knowledge about Keep placement. Some facts about Keep Placement once five or more people of your nation are present: *Where you choose to build the Keep is where it will be. There is no generic location, nor is it randomized. *Players of your nation can deny your Keep's placement if they don't like it. *A Keep cannot be placed within a certain range of the defending Castle. This varies by map size. *A Keep not placed within reach of several different Crystals, will result in defeat for your team. *Keeps can be placed almost anywhere, even on hill sides. Just not water. Below is an example of a unique terrain. Key: White Dots: Crystals Red Dots: Potential Obelisk & Eclipse Locations *Notes: Obelisks locations in image are mainly for example purpose. Not all are recommended, exact, building locations. Warlord's Battleground has a unique feature; high walls that cannot be scaled by enemies with ease. As a result, the flow of battle is driven in a counter clockwise motion. Blue waves and giants will commonly move south through the northern most canyon, while Orange waves and giants will commonly move north through the southern most canyon. Where Obelisks are placed should reflect this flow of motion. Orange would do well to place several Arrow Towers at D:3, while Blue do also benefit from them at E:6. *Expansion Tips: Effective means to shut down enemy territory and expand beyond the boundary line would be invest 15 crystals into a Scout at the start of the game. Were the Scout on Orange team, he could be sent to the corner of C:4 on Blue team's side. Which means he'd have to walk around, dropping down at F:4. By the time he arrives at, Obelisks should be installed at C:3. This will allow the Scout to build in enemy territory, mostly unnoticed. The Obelisk can also be defended by a Bulkward. Yet this is both risky, and potentially costly. For the Obelisk will be built early, in enemy territory. Eventually it will level to 3, and an enemy giant could easily bring it down. Destruction of a Level 3 Obelisk is equal to destroying three Level 1 Obelisks, and takes a large amount of Moral when destroyed. But, this is a viable tactic if your team was aggressive enough to shut down the enemy early. By understanding the flow of battle, you can estimate where to build vital structures. Such as if you were Orange team, a Gate of Hades would be useful in E:2 and a War Workshop would be ideal in F:5. These vital structures needn't be placed next to the Keep at all times. Sometimes they are best there, but that always depends on the terrain. Study the battle field before you engage in battle, as it will often mean the difference of victory and defeat. 'The Building Simulator' *Note: Author does not take credit for this simulator. It is Japanese created, and added by JoJoUK of these forums. [http://www.fezmov.jp/obs2.php Obelisk Simulator 2] The building simulator allows commanders, and other players, to carefully plan out scenarios and building plans. You can actually piece together a battle. This is very important for someone who is going to be in control of much of the building, and also putting together more complex strategies. This will also allow players to have a better handle on building in different terrain types. It isn't totally accurate, but it's better than trial and error. Chapter 04 - Crystals; The Jugular Vein Like any strategy game worth its merit, Fantasy Earth Zero has a vital resource which must be mined and utilized to feed your army. Where you place your Keep is important if you are an attacking army, as you must keep Crystals within an arm lengths. The Starting Crystal, or Crystal your team first has access to - should be very close at hand. Ideally, players who join battle should be instantly able to sit and mine without even running. But some maps are not always so friendly. But the Crystals are not endless resources. Because of they are so expendable, this makes them a prime target for harassment for several reasons. One of the key reasons is to inhibit the income of your team's vital life blood. Many games are lost due to the short sightedness of many who place a Keep. Crystals eventually become depleted, and there is no other resource to draw from. Capturing and holding Crystals is key to victory, and cutting off your enemy's Crystal locations is like cutting open the jugular vein; their death will quickly follow. The fact that Crystals become depleted and dull, makes understanding their function all the more important. Most players new to the game fail to comprehend the full importance, and how truly limited a Crystals really are. Crystal Facts: *A Crystal only has a limited amount of Crystals that can be mined. *Healing at a Crystal drains it of additional Crystals. Each tick of heal, is equal to a single Crystal wasted. *When a Crystal becomes depleted, there is no way to revive it. *A Crystal is a prime target for constant enemy harassment; it's the most dangerous place on the map. *Note: Players who abuse the Crystal for regaining health can be removed from the game. For the sake of your Crystal, and your Team. You may have to take action. Your Crystal is more important than a player who doesn't know that healing at a Crystal is hurting his entire team. This offense, is punishable by Vote to Kick. This powerful function can be utilized to remove players from the game, but only if enough players agree to the offense. To instruct players of their wrong doings, inform them directly in Army Chat. Army Chat, can be accessed by pressing the Right Ctrl button on your Keyboard. Text in Gold 'on your chat bar represents the Army Chat. Constantly, suggestions, requests, and orders from other players are called out through this channel. It is important to pay attention to it, and respond to it. When it comes to calling out those who are damaging your Crystal with ignorance; announce to the team who is healing at the Crystal. If the person refuses to stop, instruct you are ''Voting to Kick' them from the game. Players have the ability to heal themselves with Potions and Food, and should do so before mining from the Crystal again. To not do this, will result in critical resources being drained away. Active Crystal: Dead Crystal: ' ' 'Chapter 05 - Expansion; Rooks, Bishops, and Pawns' Nothing is more vital than control of the middle ground. Some maps, it may be hard to tell what exactly is defined as the middle, but in more cases it is easy to identify. The only way to have control over this plot of land is team work, and the ability of players to stick to their Roles. At the beginning of the game, it is much more effective to mine 5 Crystals, and then trade them to another player. Often times players with utilize a Banker, but this will be discussed later in Chapter 07. But in many cases, rushing the middle is vital. So building fast, and quick is important. *Note: A player who tries to mine 15 crystals is a massive disadvantage, this is because mining becomes slower after a player acquires 12 crystals. Three players who mine five crystals, and then collectively trade can build five times faster than a person who waits for 15 crystals alone. Seconds matter, and a second not spent building and expanding outwards toward the middle is a second gained for your enemy. While you are not trading, they are, and are picking away at your moral bar. 'Obelisks' In order to build out towards the middle, players must swiftly utilize''' Obelisks''' to expand. When placed at the outer circle of your territory's control, you can build farther and faster. Eclipses can be utilized in place of Obelisks, only when nearing the enemy's boundaries, our pushing beyond them. Obelisks which are left exposed too close to enemy lines are quick to fall and be destroyed if left unguarded. Eclipses do not harm your moral bar as much as Obelisks do, use them wisely. But above all else, the middle ground must be supported with Arrow Towers. These cost 18 crystals, and cannot do much alone. But in groups, can cause a good deal of punishment to the enemy. Often, enemy players will erect Eclipses to stunt the growth of your Arrow Towers. Be sure to quickly destroy them. Arrow Towers are beneficial for several reasons. They can do a decent amount of damage to enemies when grouped together, and several players can be distracted by them. An enemy player who wastes time hitting an Arrow Tower, is a small victory for your team. That's vital time spent destroying something which has little impact on your moral, versus an Obelisk which has a major impact. And the Obelisk doesn't even fight back. Arrow Towers can also provide defense as well, making protective barriers for your allies to run behind when pelted with a great deal of enemy fire. So establishing many of these in the center can help to stabilize your control over that region. Often times a Wraith is extremely handy for keeping a middle under your control, as well as a vast number of Knights to keep enemy Wraiths and Giant's at bay. But control of the middle will not ensure complete victory, no. It is only a step towards it. Once you rush to the middle and establish Obelisks, you have to ensure that your team is expanding quickly beyond it. So then it is time to utilize the vital power of the Builder Knight. Continues in Chapter06. Chapter 06 Knight; Master& Commander If you have declared war upon a nation, you are the one most obligated to take upon the role of the Builder Knight. {C} 'Role of the Builder Knight' *To quickly gather 30 Crystals from Players to Summon at the opening of the game. *Once Summoned, Gather 45 Crystals from players to build up to 3 Obelisks. *Use the speed and agility of the horse to expand your nation's territory. *To continue to build until all area within your nation's region is completely covered. *Build Obelisk's at the very edges of the map. *Build Eclipses at the boundaries of enemy territory. *Scout the enemy territory. *Build other structures if needed. *Note: A Builder Knight might not always be ideal at the start. Some maps are much smaller than others, and it's smarter to just build by hand first. Also, there isn't much use for two Builder Knights. On top of this role, the Builder Knight is often the team's commander. This means, the person who is expanding is also the one who is watching the map the most, and seeing how far the enemy has built. With this kind of map awareness, few people can compete with the knowledge a Builder Knight can provide. As a Builder Knight, you will commonly give orders and requests to your team mates. 'Advantages' {C}As a knight, you can endure much more punishment from your enemies. This allows you time to give orders and mark vital locations during scouting and construction. The person who has the most access to seeing what the enemy is doing, is best suited for translating that information to the entire team via Army Chat. Knights also have very little to fear, even enemy knights are not too much of a threat. They can perform a number of roles even when building is done, and continue to keeps eyes on vital locations beyond the fog of war. Placing a Commander who can best instruct friendly players as the role of the knight is ideal, allowing for a long lasting stream of instructions from a position that is highly mobile is not only a requirement -- it's just flat out logical. A smart player can retain the role of the knight for almost the duration of the entire battle, which makes the initial 30 crystals at the start an extremely sound investment. 'Disadvantages' An inability to mine Crystals yourself leaves you completely dependent on your team. They are also completely dependent on you to build swiftly and properly. Builder Knight does take some practice to get used to, and research before hand can go a long way towards being an effective builder. 'Chapter 07 - Roles; Never Fight Alone' Though Fantasy Earth Zero has three primary combat classes, several sub classes beneath those, and additional advanced classes -- there is much more to be done within the War itself. There are roles which are player defined, and all are completely voluntary and interchangeable. There is no list for one player to pick from upon entering battle, it is up to the player to determine whether the role is needed by asking fellow team mates and assessing the situation. Below is a list of all the vital roles found within Fantasy Earth Zero, and descriptions on how these roles play out: *Note: All players have the ability to write a comment in their Character Status menu. It would be ideal to list what role you are in this comment. Players who use /sea on the battlefield can quickly identify your role and respond accordingly. Banker: This role demands a player be stationed by the team's active Crystal at all times. A Banker is a deposit point for Miners to unload Crystals when they reach upwards of 12 crystals or more. Players can only mine up to 20 crystals at most, if they are level 20 or higher. But a single player can hold 50 Crystals. By trading Crystals to a banker, players who demand crystals for important things; such as summons and buildings, need only trade to one person instead of many. Which dramatically speeds things up. A Banker must also constantly ensure the team is aware of their position and their currently inventory. Using the'/50 '''macro in Army Chat does the trick just fine. '''Builder Knight': See Chapter 06 for details. Chimera Master: This person is the dedicated Chimera user. When things turn south, or the battle just needs a quick finish. It is up to the Chimera Master to ensure the route is clear and then bring out the summon. Ideally, this person has a lot of experience running Chimeras, and can do it quickly and successfully most of the time. Every game should have at least one Chimera Master, and players should do their best to give them Crystals the very moment they demand them. And go out of their way to ensure they get those Crystals as soon as possible. Not giving a Chimera Master resources or protection, is the same as accepting defeat. Demolisher: This person is dedicated to the destruction of enemy Obelisks. It is their soul, and single purpose throughout the entire game. They only collect crystals from players to create Giants, which is only a more effective means at completing this goal. Mostly, a Demolisher is either a 2H Warrior or Dagger Scout. 2H Warriors focus on Obelisks on the front lines. Dagger Scouts focus on Obelisks on the rear of the enemy's flank, targeting much older, more vital Obelisks. Also a prime target for both is the enemy Gate of Hades, because once that is destroyed no more can be built. Disabler: This person is dedicated to the crippling of powerful summons. The most effective class for this is Dagger Scout, for they can disarm and enemy, blind an enemy, drain an enemy of Power, leave them slowed, and even poisoned. It is very destructive for a Dagger Scout to Disable powerful summons like the Wraith and Chimera, leaving them open and exposed to ally punishment. Guardian: This person is dedicated to the protection of vital structures, such as the Crystal and Gate of Hades. Sometimes these structures are vulnerable to Demolishers and Harassers, so a Guardian must be enlisted to protect the area from unseen or surprise enemies. A good guardian is ever watchful for cloaked Dagger Scouts, whom appear on the target cross hair, but remain otherwise unseen. Any class can perform this role, but a 1H Warrior Hybrid is perhaps the most threatening. Grunt: This person is dedicated to the flexible role of the do-everything-needed soldier. Grunts are best suited for defending Obelisks from enemy attack, and should always been responding to enemy blips on radar. But a proper Grunt never blindly chases an enemy who runs away for to long. Grunt's must protect vital structures like Obelisks, while at the same time try to destroy and push back enemy Obelisks. Killing and engagement enemy players should only come second to this goal, for many enemy players will try to lead Grunts away from vital structures while their teammates take it down when Grunt's aren't looking. Harasser: This person is dedicated to the single minded task of assaulted the enemy Crystal. This role never wavers, and is a constant act of self sacrifice. Dagger Scouts with disarm, and 2H Warriors with Dragon Tail are best suited for this role. They can take on hordes of enemies, and still continue strong. The goal is not to kill enemies, but to weaken them. Forcing players to to heal at the Crystal, which reduces the resources. At the same time, it will hinder the enemy team's income, slowing them down while their allies expand. Kicker: This person is dedicated to reacting to strange activity. The biggest threat on the battlefield besides the enemy, is your own team. The Kicker's obligation is to monitor the activity of friendly players, keeping a close eye on them while others are paying attention to war. The Kicker will be responsible for calling out friendly players who may be Saboteurs; enemy players using new accounts to destroy your team's chances of victory. With the powerful Vote to Kick option, a trusted Kicker can quickly rally the team to remove potentially problematic players from current, and future battles. Miner: This person is dedicated to mining resources. This is perhaps one of the most inactive, yet vital, roles in the game. A Miner must always be on alert, for the Crystal is a dangerous place. Miner's must feed the Banker a continuous stream of crystals, never gathering more than 12 unless the banker is full. Once a Miner gather's 12, they must trade them off or risk mining slower. A good miner tries to maximize output of income at all times, ensuring that everything can be made quickly without much waiting. Spotter: Though everyone should technically be a spotter, this person is dedicated to the marking of locations of enemy Summons; such as the Chimera. Everyone should always be on high alert when a Chimera is on the move, for it is a nothing but a ticking time bomb. Calling out Giants, Wraiths, and Dragons is also equally important. But nothing is more important than calling out the location of a Chimera the very instant it is spotted. *Note: Knights who have no summons to kill, make for good Spotters until they are needed again. Furthermore, construct a Scaffolds where you have no eyes on the map. A Scaffold produces a small radar, so building these far behind enemy lines allows for early alert. Stunner: Combative 1H Warrior or Mage that specializes in pinning down enemy player's and summons, leaving them open and exposed to friendly ally attack. Wraith Master: Because it can get confusing who and where a friendly Wraith is, leaving one person in charge to manage this summon is very ideal. Many players want to be the Wraith because it is very powerful, and very threatening. But the power of it is often mismanaged by the inexperienced or selfish. By ensuring only one person can become the Wraith, this means when that person dies, he/she can inform the team when another is needed. A dead Wraith doesn't mean a failed player, just means another one needs to be made as soon as possible. With one dedicated person, there will be no confusion on who will get the crystals needed to summon this god of the battlefield. 'Chapter 08 - Moral; Life Blood of the Battlefield' Each War is won and lost by Moral; the meter at the top of the screen. There are three shades of Moral, each indicated a different bar. Each bar that is depleted, begins to eat away at the next until nothing is left. Moral can go very quickly, and it is important to know what does greatest harm to it. There are three grades: Grade 1: The brightest stage, this indicates a full moral. Grade 2: This is slightly duller. Chimera's can be summoned at this stage. Grade 3: Final stage, once this is gone the team loses. There are really only two elements which have large impacts on Moral; Obelisks & Chimeras. 'Obelisks' {C}' ' *When enemy Obelisks are erected, cause slow, steady continuous damage to your base. *When friendly Obelisks are destroyed, cause damage to your keep. *Obelisks level up over time. The higher their level, the more damage they cause when destroyed. *Do not fight back, and are very weak structures. *Are more vital to destroy than enemy players. *Should be every player's primary target at all times. 'Chimeras' *Can be summoned by a team whose Moral Bar is now at Grade 2. *Can utilize the most powerful magic on the battlefield. *Can destroy and entire bar of moral from an enemy team if it touches the Keep and uses Final Burst. *Are weaker than Knights. *Suffer form continuous health loss, and will die within ten minutes. *Are large and easy to spot. *Have considerable trouble moving around, even slightly hilly terrain. 'Conserve Moral' To conserve moral: *Be wary of building Obelisks close to enemy territory. This will leave them open to constant player attack, and enemy giants. Furthermore, utilize Eclipses to push forward and use Giants to keep pressure on the enemy. *Dismiss Summons before defeat to help reduce the impact of your death on the moral bar. *Flee from combat if you are weak, try not to stop running until you've made considerable distance. Dagger Scouts will attempt to get a quick kill from a weak player, so be on the look out. Chapter 09 - The Zerg; The Uncontrollable Equation As mentioned before, the most threatening thing on the battlefield besides your enemy is your own team. They are often just as dangerous. The only difference is that you can kill your enemies, not your allies. But you are not helpless. There are ways to direct the surging, unstoppable torrent that is the Zerg. 'What is, The Zerg?' The Zerg, is a form of internet terminology. Though it's origins were Blizzard's popular StarCraft title which dominated the late 90s, the term has evolved into something much more than it's parent's simple Zergling base rushes. Several PvP MMOs have utilized the term to describe the enigmatic, uncontrollable element that is other players. Yet these are not just any players on your team, no; the Zerg are the unaffiliated, uncooperative, inexperienced, and unappreciative players. These players are often the ones who will sit down at the Crystal and heal at it, not knowing that it does serious damage to your entire team. These players will also not trade you any Crystal, even though you'll be standing right next to you. Or they might not even know how to trade. These players are like a river, constantly flowing, and constantly eroding away upon solid foundations you try to establish. You cannot control the river, you cannot block it. All you can do is hope to simply nudge it in the right direction. But a Zerg isn't managed alone, or else you're just part of the problem. You must be affiliated with an organization, or Corps, that takes charge and tries not to rely upon the Zerg. To rely upon the Zerg is like trying to hope you win a contest you didn't enter, it just isn't going to work out. Rules of Engagement; What to do if Zerg outnumbers your Corps: *If you want something done, do it yourself. *Make your Corps members become banks and miners. *Always have a Chimera handy, and use your Corps as protection. *Utilize the Wraith to cover weak spots in your defense. *Always be careful of sabotage. 'Sabotage' Just because they were your team's color, doesn't make them friendly. If they aren't in your Corps, you should always treat players of your own nation with extreme caution. This is because, events like above can occur. In the screenshot, enemy saboteurs infiltrated the friendly team by creating new accounts. Unlike Planetside, there is nothing hindering players from switching sides at a moment's notice. What seems like a trivial element in Beta, will quickly become common and even more deadly as the game becomes popularized. The most common form of Griefing; causing pain to your enemy by unfairly building critical structures in bad locations, is by building the Gate of Hades in easy to destroy locations. Since only one Gate can be made per game, losing that have a massive impact on the friendly team. But your hands are not bound and tied. You are not simply helpless to watch. You can stop enemy saboteurs through'Vote to Kick'. Also, to have a predetermined Kicker on your team to police strange activity within the Zerg is a good idea. If you have a trusted Corps, all you need is five votes to kick the player from the game. You can do this very quickly, and keep enemy Sabotage at bay. Damage will be done, but at least it will not be as serious or as out of control as the screenshot above. *Note: A much faster way to Vote To Kick someone, would be to use the /sea command. Then select their name on the list and simply choose, Vote to Kick. 'Chapter 10 - End Game; Last Ditch Effort' Sometimes the battle will not favor your team, and your moral ball will begin reaching into critical levels. But all hope isn't lost at this point, no; it just means a change of plan is needed. Obviously, doing what has been done throughout the majority of the game isn't going to change the tide of war; more dramatic things need to be done. But sometimes this advice will not always help, but are times when your team can make a big come back if you have the resources. 'Summon Rush' If your enemy has a large advantage over you in the moral bar, and your team has just entered the final stage. It's time for a last ditch effort to make a difference. This is where you and your team mates can utilize the power of Summons. Not just one, or two, but many. As many as can be possibly cranked out in the short time provided. Banks must be on high alert at this point, and all players should be investing Crystals into perhaps one of the most expensive, but effective, final pushes a team could ever utilize. Summon Rush: *1 Wraith *At Least 3 Knights *At Least 3 Giants *1 Chimera All move together, all protect each other; however, the Chimera can break off from the group and move into less populate parts of the map while the enemy team is distracted with a massive cluster of very dangerous targets. A large group of Giants and a Wraith look much more threatening than a Chimera wandering through the mist, and it created a large amount of confusion within the enemy ranks. Many people do not know where to go, leaving many Obelisks unguarded. This will also force the enemy team to back away from beating on your Obelisks, and distract them as they try to stop the Chimera and a large cluster of Giants at the exact same time. This can become too much for the enemy team to handle, and can turn a defeat into a sweep victory in mere seconds. When the Moral bar is at its lowest, your team must become it's most dangerous. You will not always have the resources to pull this tactic off, but it's effective if you can. 'Obelisk Crush, Level 2 or Higher' Level 1 Obelisks are a waste of time if your team is in the red. You need to make up for the loss, so you need to hunt down more vital and more destructive Obelisks. If a team is beating you, they will have more Level 2 or even Level 3 Obelisks than you -- and not far beyond the original boundary line they pushed you back from. These must become your primary targets, and all other structures, even Level 1 Obelisks, should and must be ignored -- if the lead of your enemy is nearly a full moral bar ahead of you. If their lead is much smaller, then Level 1 Obelisks will do just fine. Giants are very important at this stage of the game, as a party of 3 Giants can demolish a single tower in mere moments. They can burn a path of destruction clean into enemy territory if properly guarded, leaving vulnerable areas for Chimera's to wiggle through in other, more distant sections of the map. If your team can't afford Giants, hope isn't lost. A party of 6 or more 2H Warriors can do far more damage, much more quickly, than a party of Giants ever could. But players are weaker, and easier to take out. So they must be guarded and defended by 1H warriors, mages, and scouts. Players who focus all their most powerful players on the Obelisks at the late game can surely turn defeat into victory as long as all players know that their job must be to kill Lv2+ Obelisks -- and do it as a group. No one player can save the game; even a Chimera isn't technically alone, despite being a single player. For the efforts of his/her team is keeping the attention off of the Chimera. 'Chapter 11 - Additional Resources' The concludes the Commander's Guide Book, and it is my hopes that the information listed was helpful to your development as a Fantasy Earth Zero player. This guide may see various updates to each chapters, check the first post for any update listings. In the meantime, here is a list of various other resourced that may be helpful to you *FEZ Universe Wiki *FEZ Japanese Wiki *Obelisk Simulator 2 *FEZ Skill Calculator